Reusable packaging for tokens or coins

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a reusable packaging for tokens or coins, comprising an essentially semi-cylindrical trough ( 2 ), for retaining the coins or tokens, formed by alternating a first series of semi-cylindrical sections ( 8 ) with a common axis perpendicular to the plane of the coins or tokens and a second series of semi-cylindrical sections ( 10 ) with a common axis, vertically recessed with relation the first series ( 8 ), the axes of the first and second series begin parallel to each other. Two folding wings ( 4 ) are arranged longitudinally to both sides of the trough ( 2 ). Each of said wings ( 4 ) is connected with articulation to a cover ( 6 ) of cylindrical segment, formed, as for the trough, by the alternation of a first series ( 12 ) of cylindrical segments with a common axis, perpendicular to the plane of the coins or tokens and a second series of cylindrical segment sections ( 14 ) with a common axis, the covers ( 6,6 ), corresponding to each of the wings ( 4 ), being mutually interlocking.

REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims priority of PCT Application PCT/EP2004/050900filed on May 24, 2004, which claims priority to European PatentApplication EP 03101492.1 filed on May 23, 2003.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to reusable packaging for tokens or coins.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

WO 9705799 discloses coin-handling cases made up of two half-cylindricalcradles reinforced with stiffeners.

FR-2 057 449 and DE-34 04 486 disclose coin boxes in which, for ease ofcounting, the coins are arranged obliquely, in staggered seriesalternating to the left and right. The same principle is used in EP 1262 927 for packaging composed of two half-cradles, which also havelaterally staggered series.

To bring down the unit cost of these packaging, efforts are made toproduce them using as little plastic material as possible. A delicatebalance must therefore be achieved between the strength of the packagingand its thickness. As a consequence, especially if they are notcompletely filled, most packaging have poor impact and torsionalstrength, and no small amount of time is wasted during handling,especially when opening and closing them. In addition, in EP 1 262 927,the presence of an axial hinge prevents the coins or tokens being heldfirmly and tends to cause them to flop about, making them difficult toarrange efficiently.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the invention to market packaging that are bothrobust and cheap, suitable for high production rates, and that are morestable and facilitate counting by holding the coins securely.

It is another object of the invention to enable less common plastics,such as PLA, to be used effectively.

To this end, the reusable packaging according to the invention comprises

-   -   a half-cylindrical cradle suitable for holding coins or tokens        and formed by the alternation of a first series of        half-cylindrical lengthwise sections with a common axis        perpendicular to the plane of the coins or tokens, and of a        second series of half-cylindrical lengthwise sections with a        common axis set back vertically from the first series, the axis        of the first and second series being parallel. Two folding flaps        are arranged longitudinally on either side of the cradle. These        flaps, which are of a box structure, are hinged to the cradle.        The free edge of each of these flaps is joined in a hinged        manner to a cover in the form of a cylindrical segment formed by        the alternation of a first series of lengthwise sections of        cylindrical segments with a common axis perpendicular to the        plane of the coins or tokens, and of a second series lengthwise        sections of cylindrical segments with a common axis set back        vertically from the first series. The axes of the first and        second series of lengthwise sections of segments are parallel,        the covers corresponding to each of the flaps being mutually        engageable. The cradle comprises a box-structure foot extending        virtually along its full length.

In a preferred embodiment, the covers each comprise a longitudinalprojection, the projections of the two covers being mutually engageable.These engageable projections have a role both as a closing system and asa damping box structure.

In an advantageous embodiment, at least one engageable stud, male andfemale, is provided on the set-back series of lengthwise sections ofsegments of the covers.

In another advantageous embodiment at least the lengthwise sections ofthe second series of the cradle encircle the coins or tokens around anangle of at least 180°. Additionally, the lengthwise sections of thefirst series of the cradle may also encircle the coins or tokens aroundan angle of at least 180°.

There preferably remains a gap between the bottom of the box structureand the base of the coins or tokens, when they are in place, so that thebox structure has a role as a shock absorber.

At least one of the covers advantageously comprises a longitudinal tab,allowing easy opening of the packaging after it has been reclosed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

These and other aspects of the invention will be clarified in thedetailed description of certain particular embodiments of the invention,reference being made to the drawings of the figures, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a packaging according to the invention,open;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a packaging according to FIG. 1, upsidedown.

The figures are not drawn to scale. Similar elements are generallydenoted by similar references in the different figures.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PARTICULAR EMBODIMENTS

The reusable packaging for tokens or coins shown in FIG. 1 essentiallycomprises a basically half-cylindrical cradle 2 to which are attachedtwo longitudinally arranged box-structure flaps 4. The free edges of theflaps are joined to two covers 6 in the form of segments of a cylinder.

All these elements (2, 4, 6) are hinged to each other in such a way thatthey can encircle the coins placed in the cradle, the faces of thesecoins or tokens thus being in a plane essentially perpendicular to theaxis of the cradle.

The cradle is subdivided into two series of alternating adjacenthalf-cylindrical lengthwise sections.

A first series of lengthwise sections 8 are aligned along a commonlongitudinal axis X₁, and a second series of lengthwise sections 10 arealigned along a second axis X₂, which is offset vertically downwardsrelative to the axis X₁ of the first series 8.

The cradle 2 conforms furthermore to the curvature or external shape ofthe coins or tokens for which the packaging is designed, the coinstherefore being arranged in the open cradle 2 in packets which areoffset alternately upwards and downwards. The number of coins or tokensin each packet is determined, of course, by considerations of ease ofcounting.

The offset of the coins placed in the cradle is also found in the twocovers 6, which are designed to overlap each other and engage mutually.

Each of the covers 6 therefore comprises a first series of lengthwisesections 12 of cylindrical segments with a common axis Y₁ and a secondseries of lengthwise sections 14 of segments with a common axis Y₂ thatis offset upwards compared to Y₁ when the packaging is, as here, in theopen position. As shown in the two figures, the part of the cover thatcorresponds to the first series 12 is here practically flat when thepackaging is open. Clearly, however, its curvature may be more or lesspronounced depending on the dimensions of the coins etc.

FIG. 2 shows more clearly another series of features of the packaging ofthe invention.

The rigidity of the packaging and its impact strength is provided by aseries of reinforcing elements acting both as longitudinal beams and asshock-absorbing elements in case the partially or completely filledpackaging is knocked or dropped. With this arrangement it is possible,other things being equal, to reduce the thickness of the plastic used.The first of these elements is the box-structure foot 16 of the cradle,which extends along practically the full length of the packaging. In theembodiment illustrated here, it will be seen that a small gap (between0.5 and 2 mm approximately) has been provided between the bottoms of thelength sections of the second series 10 and the bottom of the foot 16.The flaps 4 have the same role: they each form a box structure ofgenerally parallelepiped shape, open towards the interior of thepackaging, capable of absorbing and attenuating shocks. The covers,lastly, are each provided with a ridge 18, also of box structure, whichextends along practically their full length. It will be noted that theridges 18 also have a closing function by fitting one inside the otherwhen the packaging is closed. In this regard they may also have a slightinverted taper, as is known to those skilled in the art. The design ofthe covers with their ridges 18 offers two significant advantages overconventional stud closures: they are stronger, which increases the reuserate of the packaging, and they can be produced faster. For ease ofopening and closing, the order in which the covers are overlapped isreversible (left over right or right over left).

An indirect advantage of these box-structure elements is that theypresent large flat surfaces on which indications can be placed relatingto the packaging, to the type of coins for which it is designed, and soforth.

Besides having a ridge 18, it may also have engageable studs (notillustrated) for closing the covers 6.

A disadvantage of stud-type closures is that the studs are easilydeformed during closing, especially if they are engaged incorrectly. Itthen becomes increasingly difficult to open them without spoiling them.A simple but effective means has therefore been provided to solve thisproblem, which takes the form of one or two tabs 20 attached to thecovers 6.

The cradle, the flaps and the covers make maximum use of the elongationproperties of plastics. It will also be observed that the cradle isdeeper than the cradles of earlier packaging: the lower coins areembraced here around an angle of at least 180°. This may also be thecase with the higher coins, which are therefore held around an angle ofnearly 180° or more.

Another advantage of the packaging of the invention is that it issmaller than, in particular, EP 1 262 927: its width corresponds to thatof the packaged coins, and its height is limited by integrating theridge 18 into the depressed parts of the cover. It is therefore easierto stack, and more importantly can be made from a plastic blank ofsmaller area. For the same mould area, productivity will therefore beincreased.

This increased productivity compensates for a difference in cost inrespect of more expensive polymers, such as PET, APET or PLA. This last,being produced from lactic acid, is easily biodegradable and thereforeless harmful to the environment.

1. A reusable packaging for coins or tokens comprising: ahalf-cylindrical cradle suitable for holding coins or tokens and formedby an alternation of a first series of half-cylindrical lengthwisesections with a common axis perpendicular to a plane of the coins ortokens, and a second series of half-cylindrical lengthwise sections witha common axis set back vertically from the first series, the axes of thefirst series and the second series being parallel; two folding flapsarranged longitudinally on either side of the half-cylindrical cradle,wherein the two folding flaps are of a box structure and are hinged tothe half-cylindrical cradle, and a free edge of each of the two foldingflaps are each joined in a hinged manner to a cover; and the covers inthe form of a cylindrical segment formed by an alternation of a firstseries of lengthwise sections of cylindrical segments with a common axisperpendicular to the plane of the coins or tokens and a second series oflengthwise sections of cylindrical segments with a common axis set backvertically from the first series, wherein the axes of the first seriesand the second series of lengthwise sections of cylindrical segments isparallel, the covers corresponding to each of the two folding flapsbeing mutually engageable, and the half-cylindrical cradle comprising abox-structure foot extending virtually along a full length.
 2. Areusable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the covers eachcomprise a longitudinal projection, the longitudinal projections of thecovers being mutually engageable.
 3. A reusable packaging according toclaim 1, wherein at least one engageable stud is provided on each of thecovers.
 4. A reusable packaging according to claim 1, wherein at leastone engageable stud is provided on each of the covers.
 5. A reusablepackaging according to claim 1, wherein at least the lengthwise sectionsof the second series of the half-cylindrical cradle encircle the coinsor tokens around an angle of at least 180°.
 6. A reusable packagingaccording to claim 5, wherein the lengthwise sections of the firstseries of the half cylindrical cradle encircle the coins or tokensaround an angle of at least 180°.
 7. A reusable packaging according toclaim 3, wherein at least the lengthwise sections of the second seriesof the half-cylindrical cradle encircle the coins or tokens around anangle of at least 180°.
 8. A reusable packaging according to claim 7,wherein the lengthwise sections of the first series of thehalf-cylindrical cradle encircle the coins or tokens around an angle ofat least 180°.
 9. A reusable packaging according to claim 1, wherein atleast one of the covers comprises an external longitudinal tab.
 10. Areusable packaging according to claim 1, wherein the box-structure footof the half-cylindrical cradle comprises indications placed on anexternal surface.
 11. A reusable packaging according to claim 1, whereinthe reusable packaging is made of a plastic chosen from PET, APET andPLA.
 12. A reusable packaging according to claim 3, wherein thebox-structure foot of the half-cylindrical cradle comprises indicationsplaced on an external surface.
 13. A reusable packaging according toclaim 3, wherein the reusable packaging is made of a plastic chosen fromPET, APET and PLA.
 14. A reusable packaging according to claim 5,wherein the box-structure foot of the half-cylindrical cradle comprisesindications placed on an external surface.
 15. A reusable packagingaccording to claim 5, wherein the reusable packaging is made of aplastic chosen from PET, APET and PLA.